Today for Fiction Friday I’m sharing my book recommendation for Susan J Bruce’s excellent Aussie cozy mystery with rom com story elements, Dead Ahead, that’s the first book in her Ruthless-the-Killer Mysteries series.
Here’s the Book Description:
A deliciously twisty Aussie cozy mystery with a side of rom-com!
Ruth is desperate for a fresh start, but a body in her shed, an inconvenient romantic attraction, and a secret childhood reputation as a ‘harbinger of death’ get in the way.
As they do…
Murder and mayhem mingle with matters of the heart as Ruth soon discovers the town holds buried secrets and scandals—some of which may even involve her own late father.
But when a close friend goes missing, and the police fear the worst, all Ruth can think about is unravelling the mystery and finding her friend.
Can Ruth solve the crime in time to save her friend? Will she succeed or will bad luck be the death of her?
Dead Ahead has slow-burn romance, heaps of heart, murder and mayhem, small town vibes, friends who care, a grumpy cat and a mysterious meta plot. The final HEA of the romantic subplot will be at the end of the series—but there will be lots of fun in-between.
Warning: Dead Ahead contains banter that could make you snort your coffee.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Dead Ahead, the first book in Susan J Bruce’s Ruthless-the-Killer Mysteries series set in South Australia. Ruth has inherited her father’s home in Pelican Bay, a sleepy coastal town that’s hiding many secrets.
Ruth has recently discovered that her sister is a consummate liar who created an unnecessary decade long estrangement between Ruth and their late father. As a result, Ruth has many unanswered questions about her family that she hopes to sort out when she visits Pelican Bay.
Ruth has also acquired an undeserved reputation as a harbinger of death, mainly as a consequence of her dysfunctional family and being bullied during her childhood. She logically knows it isn’t true, but the discovery of a dead body in her dad’s shed brings all her childhood emotional baggage to the surface.
The story opening has cute romcom elements and I loved how there’s a sweet romance that will run through the books in the series. Ruth is a sassy and modern girl who’s very Aussie in how she talks and thinks. The town is full of quirky Aussie characters who add humour in the story.
The story is a general market cozy mystery, and like most cozy’s, it’s a clean read with no explicit content. That said, it’s not a squeaky clean read. More conservative readers may find a few things in the story are a little bit too edgy for their tastes.
I loved the animals in the story and how they were often like side characters. I did pick the killer’s identity before the end, but it was more of a hunch from one obscure clue. I didn’t pick the hows and whys for the murder mystery and I kept turning the page to find out what happens next. I read the second half of the book very quickly.
An intriguing overarching series mystery is set up in Dead Ahead and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I recommend Dead Ahead to cozy mystery readers who like small town mystery series with a loveable amateur sleuth, memorable side characters, romcom story elements, and adorable animals who steal the limelight.
Many thanks to the author for the advanced reader copy. The ebook is available in Kindle Unlimited.
Sounds interesting. I like when pets are involved in cozy mysteries. I often think I am never visiting the places they are set in due to the amount of murders.
Hi Jenny, You’d love the pets in this story, in particular a feisty feline who’s a bit of a handful, lol. 😊